Definitions
Basic needs are defined as the essential resources that impact one’s health, belonging, persistence, and overall well-being. These resources include, but are not limited to, food, housing, and financial security as well as equitable access to academic technologies and materials.
Two commonly researched and discussed areas of basic needs insecurity among college students include food and housing insecurity.
- Food insecurity generally refers to a lack of consistent access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food hat meets your cultural and dietary needs.
- Housing insecurity refers to conditions that inhibit a person’s ability to have a consistent, safe, and affordable place to live.
Why It Matters
When their basic needs are not met, it can be difficult for students to perform their best. Basic needs insecurity can have a significant impact on college students’ learning, serving as a barrier to staying enrolled and graduating (Broton & Goldrick-Rab, 2016; Weaver et al., 2019). College students experiencing food and other basic needs insecurities tend to have lower GPAs, poorer health outcomes, and higher rates of depression and anxiety (Leung et al., 2020).
Not all college students experience food insecurity at the same rate or in the same way. Students of color, LGBTQ+ students and first-generation students are more likely to report experiences of food and other basic needs insecurities than their peers and less likely to access resources (Baker-Smith et al., 2020; Hope Center, 2021; Willis, 2019). Basic needs insecurity is thus tied to issues of educational equity.
What Do We Know About Wildcats' Basic Needs?
An inaugural University of Arizona student basic needs survey conducted in Spring 2021 revealed the following:
- 35% of respondents had experienced food insecurity in the last 12 months
- 8% of respondents had experienced a disruption in permanent housing over the last 12 months
- Black, Hispanic, and Native American students as well as those who identified as two or more races were more likely to experience food insecurity than their peers.
- Pell grant recipients and LGBTQ+ students experienced more food insecurity and reported greater housing insecurity compared to peers.
- Students who were employed were more likely than their peers who were not seeking work to report experiencing food and/or housing insecurity.
- One in three students reported that financial stress negatively impacts their success frequently or all of the time.
Additionally, the survey indicated most students in need were not using resources available either on campus or in the community. Approximately 76% of food insecure students and 94% of housing insecure students did not contact resources. The top reasons why had to do with not knowing the resources existed or not thinking they were eligible to use them.